Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-22
BRIDGE COMMITTEES.
A NETTING TO Blk HELD SOMETIME DURING
THE PRESENT WEEK.
Very General Satisfaction With the Gentlemen s-
lected TO Consider the Details Of the
Matier-Data on Hand.

The gentlemen who have been selected
to represent the city and county authori-
ties and the Chamber of Commerce IN the
matter of the proposed Union bridge, are
taking steps to have q full meeting of the
three committees, and it is expected the
bodies will get together for a first meeting
before the end of the week-probably to-
morrow evening. Where the sessions Will
be held has not yet been definitely de-
cided, but it is expected they Will De
in the room of the Chamber of Commerce,
ON Main street. 1t will, as a member OF
the committee suggested yesterday, proba-
bly take a number of meetings, at some
what widely extended intervals, before the
subiect of the bridge has been canvassed IN
anything like a proper manner, and the re-
port is expected to be a rather voluminouS
document. In fact, it is the expectation
in some quarters that the correspondence
of the committee, the compiling OF statistics
and other matters properly coming before
the committee aud which will be indispen-
sible to a complete and comprehensive re-
mort. will make the employment OF a
secretary a matter of necessity. There Is
no doubt but that the people at large,
and more especially the mercantile ana
manufacturing interests, want the whole
subject of the proposed bridge investigated
exhaustively, to the end that the commu-
nity may know exactly where it stands,
and there Ia a we'll grounded feeling that
the choice of committeeman has been
most fortunate.
1t ia understood that members OF the
committees have informally collected a
considerable quantity of valuable data
bearing upon the past history Of the enter,
prize, the charters, surveys, etc, and all
this matter will be produced at the proper
time.
Meanwhile interest in the matter seems
to be on the increase, on both sides OF the
river, and each day one hears
of half a-dozen projects discussed
regarding the bridge, it's location, manner
of construction, etc. The idea of a double
deck bridge, with a wagon way and Ioot
walks in addition to the necessary tracks,
is gaining many adherents, especially
among those who know of the present lack
of proper means of communication be-
tween this city and Martins Ferry, n
who therefore fully appreciate the value OF
the proposed improvement.
The Brooke county Local of yesterday
contained the following:
Twill the proposed union bridge be
built2" inquired a representative Of The
Local of MI. Rhodes, OF the firm Of J. 5.
Rhodes & Co., Wheeling. 1T should be"
responded Mr.. Rhodes. "There has not
been a project offered us that is iraught
with such possibilities. There are several
roads out in Ohio that would complete
their lines to Wheeling if we could assure
them entrance TO our city. Take Tor
example theWheeling and Lake Erie road,
whose present terminus is at Bowerstown,
saw forty miles out. | have no doubt but
that road would nave been delivering pas
seneers long ago in our union depot, had
Wheeling possessed one, a union bridge
to reach it. There was a TIM formerly, when
the city was not in good financial shape to
undertake that enterprise, but a more aus
picious time than the present will not oc-
cur for q generation. The city is quietly but
none the less certainly, increasing in wealth
and population, and the position that our
people have been willing to occupy hereto
fore as a railway center and distributing
point, the younger generation are dissatis-
fed with, and now that this bridge discus
sion has broken out afresh, it must he
built. We should also have a free footway
for pedestrians, and if 1t could well be ar,
ranged, q free carriage way. Easy and
cheap access to our city we must possess,
or we never can become the great indus
trial city and trading mart that we desire"